A research conducted by the ROAM (Ringier One Africa Media) Group has shown that many Africans who apply for a job are not qualified in the first place.
Close to 90% of applicants are objectively not a match to the role advertised, the research showed.
This is caused less by a shortage of jobs, but a fundamental misunderstanding of job requirements, both from employers and candidates.
ROAM analysed datasets from more than 12 million users, as well as from more than 100,000 employers, across Nigeria and Kenya active in the last two years.
Speaking on the background of the research, ROAM Head of Jobs, Matthew Page, said: “We have recently conducted a data review and were shocked by this huge gap. Our initial hypothesis was that this is due to a shortage of jobs, gaps in the labour markets, and desperation. However digging deeper into our database, our analysis found that many candidates were indeed qualified for other available jobs, but did not necessarily apply for these. African employers and our clients indeed face a challenge in hiring the right people.”
The company’s research further brought to light that an average job listing receives about 140 to 160 applications. This showcases that there are huge hiring efforts involved in the application and recruitment process, even before the interview. This is both on the candidate side, to launch this large number of wrong applications, as well as from the employer, to identify the 10% of right candidates, amidst a large number of unqualified requests.
“Hiring the right competency upfront typically returns 3x productivity for the employer. It also minimises the onboarding time required to get an employee up to speed. That is why we have launched smart employer products in the last months. These facilitate a smooth hiring experience for employers, through tech-enabled shortlisting and matching products that identify the best candidate for the best position”, Page added.
